The Pittsburgh Steelers have a serious, short-term quarterback issue. Back to that in a moment.
First, let me say this. I understand why so many Steeler fans were upset with or embarrassed by Ben Roethlisberger’s off the field exploits this post season. His actions challenge your sensibilities as a fan. It makes you question yourself for believing in him and for rooting for him.
First, let me say this. I understand why so many Steeler fans were upset with or embarrassed by Ben Roethlisberger’s off the field exploits this post season. His actions challenge your sensibilities as a fan. It makes you question yourself for believing in him and for rooting for him.
No matter how much we claim otherwise, we make our relationships with athletes personal; regardless of the fact that they don’t know or care about us. It’s the bizarre, one sided nature of being a sports fan. I said this when the whole mess started, I don’t want Ben to be found not guilty; I want him to have not done this. I still feel that way.
Nobody wants to think their franchise quarterback is a scumbag; let alone a potential rapist. Even the possibility of this causes me anger and hurt as a fan. I know some Steeler fans felt that anger so profoundly that they wanted to cut ties with Big Ben right then and there. It’s an understandable short-term reaction. In the long-term, it’s the wrong thing to do.
Let me step back and make a critical point here. There are people who will read my support for Ben as selling out my beliefs. I’m so desperate for the Steelers to win that I don’t care how despicable the quarterback is. After all, ESPN reminds us on a daily basis that Ben was twice “accused” or sexual assult.
So here is why I can support Big Ben and still sleep soundly at night.
For all the talk about Ben’s exploits, there remains nothing more than unsubstantiated allegations from highly questionable sources. I’ve covered that at length in past blogs but I’ll reiterate it here; the word “accused” does not make it true. I’ll focus on these comments from the district attorney, “we don’t prosecute morality, we prosecute crimes.” He made it clear that there was not sufficient evidence to suggest a crime had occurred.
Given that, my position remains unchanged. Ben may have acted like an ignorant jerk but he did not break the law. We may expect a higher standard of behavior from him but the reality is that being an idiot or a jerk or both does not disqualify one from being an NFL football player. If it did, they would have to go back to two way players; I don’t think teams could fill a 45 man roster.
So as long as we continue to promote this wacky innocent until proven guilty system around here, I will stand by my stance. If anyone ever comes up with convincing evidence that Ben is guilty of sexual assault, I’ll pay his bus ticket out of town. Until then, I remain convinced that while I would not want him dating my daughter, I’m fine with him as my quarterback.
Actually fine is not the right word. Ecstatic is more like it, at least after watching the Dixon, Leftwich, Batch triumvirate Sunday night. For all of those who suggested that the Steelers are better off without Ben, I would say this; you’re wrong…in a big way. If that was not clear watching the Denver game, I’m not sure how else it could be.
I honestly believe the Steelers are a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year but that belief is predicated on surviving Ben’s league mandated vacation at least 2 and 2. Before last night, I was convinced they could do so. Now, I’m not sure they can win at all until number seven is back behind center. And in the NFL, four games can ruin your season.
Let me take another quick aside and remind everyone that preseason games mean absolutely nothing. They are glorified scrimmages for the benefit of coaches and owners. The simple fact that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman show up for a game does not make it meaningful.
That being said…yikes.
I had really high hopes for Dennis Dixon as a possible X factor in this Steeler mini-drama. We all know what Byron Leftwich is and what he is not. Leftwich is decidedly mediocre. He’s the same QB who could not beat out David Garrard, Joey Harrington, and Josh Freeman. That’s not exactly Joe Montana losing his job to Steve Young. That same goes for Charlie Batch. I actually think Batch is better than Leftwich except for the fact that he can’t take 10 snaps without separating his shoulder. Neither inspires great confidence.
Dixon is clearly the most athletic Steeler QB since Kordell Stewart (and ironically now wearing his number), which could make a huge difference. If you are going to have a mediocre QB behind center, at least have one who can make a difference with his legs. That might be enough to eek out two victories, if he can be a competent quarterback in all other ways. And therein lies the rub. Dixon looked great against third and fourth string players. Given a chance to play with and against starters, the results were decidedly poor.
I can forgive the mental mistakes that resulted in two interceptions. That’s why you play the preseason; to make mistakes and learn. What worries me is that Dixon appears to be a one trick pony. He locks in on his first receiver and either throws that way or takes off running. That’s a recipe for disaster in the NFL, as repeatedly demonstrated by the aforementioned Stewart.
I give Mike Tomlin credit for give Dixon a chance; it was the right thing to do. At the same time, it was hardly a ringing endorsement of Leftwich. If the Steelers had full confidence in Lord Byron, I’m guessing he would have played a lot more this preseason. You know, so that maybe he’s ready for opening day. In the end, I’m less concerned about Leftwich’s uninspiring performance this preseason than I am about his poor play the last five years.
Amazingly, I’m truly beginning to think that Batch is the best option, at least until his next injury. This has nothing to do with his performance Sunday night. He looked good throwing against 3rd stringers and his interception was likely the result of a young receiver running the wrong route. I just think he might be the best of a mediocre lot.
Which frankly is not saying much.
We can debate from now until the winter classic whether the Steelers should run the ball more and get back to traditional Steeler football. As long as Ben is behind center, I think there is valid argument for being more of a passing team. That being said, I will readily concede that without Ben the Steelers need a rewind; back to running the ball, keeping the offense simple and relying on the defense. There is no way this team wins with Byron Dixonbatch chucking 40 balls a game.
Alas such a strategy it is predicated on a few core principles. One is that Rashard Mendenhall is capable of being a 30 carry back; at least for a short time. Another is that the offensive line can be at least a reasonably good run blocking unit. The last is that the defense comes back to being an elite unit with a healthy Polamalu and Aaron Smith. Amazingly, the defense is my biggest concern on that list.
In the end, let’s try and agree on this point. Whether you like Big Ben personally or not, the Steelers need him, desperately. Kudos to Joe Buck for reminding the audience at the end of the 1st Quarter, just how good Ben really is. We are talking about one of the top 5 QBs in the NFL, bar none. Additional kudos to Buck and Aikman for doing a professional broadcast. If that had been ESPN we would have been bombarded with holier than thou Ben bashing, not too mention Ron Jaworski fawning over Tim Tebow for three hours.
I really hope that this spring was a low point for Ben and he’s committed to improving his life. That being said, as long as he stays off the police blotter and does his job, the Steelers will be competitive and we as fans should be content. The fact remains that he was never charged with a crime and he is not angling to be the next pope (nor hopefully Cardinal). For what it’s worth, I remain of the opinion that his 4 to 6 game suspension was excessive but that’s water under the bridge now.
Nobody wants to think their franchise quarterback is a scumbag; let alone a potential rapist. Even the possibility of this causes me anger and hurt as a fan. I know some Steeler fans felt that anger so profoundly that they wanted to cut ties with Big Ben right then and there. It’s an understandable short-term reaction. In the long-term, it’s the wrong thing to do.
Let me step back and make a critical point here. There are people who will read my support for Ben as selling out my beliefs. I’m so desperate for the Steelers to win that I don’t care how despicable the quarterback is. After all, ESPN reminds us on a daily basis that Ben was twice “accused” or sexual assult.
So here is why I can support Big Ben and still sleep soundly at night.
For all the talk about Ben’s exploits, there remains nothing more than unsubstantiated allegations from highly questionable sources. I’ve covered that at length in past blogs but I’ll reiterate it here; the word “accused” does not make it true. I’ll focus on these comments from the district attorney, “we don’t prosecute morality, we prosecute crimes.” He made it clear that there was not sufficient evidence to suggest a crime had occurred.
Given that, my position remains unchanged. Ben may have acted like an ignorant jerk but he did not break the law. We may expect a higher standard of behavior from him but the reality is that being an idiot or a jerk or both does not disqualify one from being an NFL football player. If it did, they would have to go back to two way players; I don’t think teams could fill a 45 man roster.
So as long as we continue to promote this wacky innocent until proven guilty system around here, I will stand by my stance. If anyone ever comes up with convincing evidence that Ben is guilty of sexual assault, I’ll pay his bus ticket out of town. Until then, I remain convinced that while I would not want him dating my daughter, I’m fine with him as my quarterback.
Actually fine is not the right word. Ecstatic is more like it, at least after watching the Dixon, Leftwich, Batch triumvirate Sunday night. For all of those who suggested that the Steelers are better off without Ben, I would say this; you’re wrong…in a big way. If that was not clear watching the Denver game, I’m not sure how else it could be.
I honestly believe the Steelers are a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year but that belief is predicated on surviving Ben’s league mandated vacation at least 2 and 2. Before last night, I was convinced they could do so. Now, I’m not sure they can win at all until number seven is back behind center. And in the NFL, four games can ruin your season.
Let me take another quick aside and remind everyone that preseason games mean absolutely nothing. They are glorified scrimmages for the benefit of coaches and owners. The simple fact that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman show up for a game does not make it meaningful.
That being said…yikes.
I had really high hopes for Dennis Dixon as a possible X factor in this Steeler mini-drama. We all know what Byron Leftwich is and what he is not. Leftwich is decidedly mediocre. He’s the same QB who could not beat out David Garrard, Joey Harrington, and Josh Freeman. That’s not exactly Joe Montana losing his job to Steve Young. That same goes for Charlie Batch. I actually think Batch is better than Leftwich except for the fact that he can’t take 10 snaps without separating his shoulder. Neither inspires great confidence.
Dixon is clearly the most athletic Steeler QB since Kordell Stewart (and ironically now wearing his number), which could make a huge difference. If you are going to have a mediocre QB behind center, at least have one who can make a difference with his legs. That might be enough to eek out two victories, if he can be a competent quarterback in all other ways. And therein lies the rub. Dixon looked great against third and fourth string players. Given a chance to play with and against starters, the results were decidedly poor.
I can forgive the mental mistakes that resulted in two interceptions. That’s why you play the preseason; to make mistakes and learn. What worries me is that Dixon appears to be a one trick pony. He locks in on his first receiver and either throws that way or takes off running. That’s a recipe for disaster in the NFL, as repeatedly demonstrated by the aforementioned Stewart.
I give Mike Tomlin credit for give Dixon a chance; it was the right thing to do. At the same time, it was hardly a ringing endorsement of Leftwich. If the Steelers had full confidence in Lord Byron, I’m guessing he would have played a lot more this preseason. You know, so that maybe he’s ready for opening day. In the end, I’m less concerned about Leftwich’s uninspiring performance this preseason than I am about his poor play the last five years.
Amazingly, I’m truly beginning to think that Batch is the best option, at least until his next injury. This has nothing to do with his performance Sunday night. He looked good throwing against 3rd stringers and his interception was likely the result of a young receiver running the wrong route. I just think he might be the best of a mediocre lot.
Which frankly is not saying much.
We can debate from now until the winter classic whether the Steelers should run the ball more and get back to traditional Steeler football. As long as Ben is behind center, I think there is valid argument for being more of a passing team. That being said, I will readily concede that without Ben the Steelers need a rewind; back to running the ball, keeping the offense simple and relying on the defense. There is no way this team wins with Byron Dixonbatch chucking 40 balls a game.
Alas such a strategy it is predicated on a few core principles. One is that Rashard Mendenhall is capable of being a 30 carry back; at least for a short time. Another is that the offensive line can be at least a reasonably good run blocking unit. The last is that the defense comes back to being an elite unit with a healthy Polamalu and Aaron Smith. Amazingly, the defense is my biggest concern on that list.
In the end, let’s try and agree on this point. Whether you like Big Ben personally or not, the Steelers need him, desperately. Kudos to Joe Buck for reminding the audience at the end of the 1st Quarter, just how good Ben really is. We are talking about one of the top 5 QBs in the NFL, bar none. Additional kudos to Buck and Aikman for doing a professional broadcast. If that had been ESPN we would have been bombarded with holier than thou Ben bashing, not too mention Ron Jaworski fawning over Tim Tebow for three hours.
I really hope that this spring was a low point for Ben and he’s committed to improving his life. That being said, as long as he stays off the police blotter and does his job, the Steelers will be competitive and we as fans should be content. The fact remains that he was never charged with a crime and he is not angling to be the next pope (nor hopefully Cardinal). For what it’s worth, I remain of the opinion that his 4 to 6 game suspension was excessive but that’s water under the bridge now.
Let’s just hope that somehow, someway the Steelers can survive what figures to be a long first month. Finding a way to win two of those games is critical. If not, we could be getting fired up for hockey season much earlier this year.
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